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Memories of Austria: An Apple Pancake from the Oven

The Dad and I each have youthful memories of eating big puffy apple pancakes in Austria, he during a Christmas season spent in the snowy Tyrolean city of Kitzbuhl and I during a summer studying in Vienna. When we woke up this morning to a billowing snowstorm that will keep us inside all day (especially since he now has the snow blower in the house, disassembled for repair), he suggested a comforting breakfast of pancakes. Rather than making our family’s traditional stack, I decided to knock out a single oven pancake, basically an eggy version of normal pancake batter poured over just-cooked apples in a skillet and baked in a hot oven until puffy. While not exactly the Kaiserschmarrn of our memories, it is lovely served warm from the oven. I adapted this recipe from Marion Cunningham’s classic, The Breakfast Book, which is the source of many good ideas for the morning meal.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare the apples, sprinkle on the lemon juice and combine with the sugar mixed with cinnamon. Melt the butter in a heavy, ovenproof skillet over low heat. Remove half to a food processor or bowl. Sauté the apples in the remaining butter until starting to soften and brown. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor or bowl and mix well. Pour over the cooked apples and place the skillet in the oven to cook for about 20 minutes. If your skillet has a wooden handle like mine, wrap it in aluminum foil to keep it from burning. Remove from the skillet (or not) and sprinkle with additional confectioners’ sugar. It will start to fall as soon as it is removed from the oven, so it’s best eaten right away.